Sox Machine: Chicago White Sox blog

The feel-good hit of the summer

While the new kid in town, Carlos Quentin, has drawn raves and praise from every direction, Jermaine Dye has put together a helluva season without a whole lot of buzz.

Let's put an end to that.  After hitting the game-winning home run with two outs in the ninth inning Friday night against the Tigers, the man deserves a macro at the very least.

Quentin has the edge in more than a few categories -- on-base percentage, baserunning ability (Bill James Online says Quentin has gained seven bases, while Dye has lost three), quantity of hair and volume of post-pop-up F-bombs -- but Dye has the lead in slugging percentage and total bases.

Also, his defense hasn't been nearly as atrocious.  According to John Dewan's plus-minus, Dye is playing a +3 right field, compared to -16 the previous season, and now ranks in the middle of the pack.  Wednesday afternoon provided a fine example of his improved range -- the diving catch that he made a few days ago would've been a triple in 2007.

And to keep you smiling, compare the production the Sox have received from their outfielders from 2007 to 2008:

	G	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007	162	54	206	.257	.324	.402	.726
2008	101	64	187	.275	.356	.504	.860

The Sox are fortunate that Horacio Ramirez doesn't throw harder.  If his slider fractured Dye's kneecap instead of bruising it, they might be singing a whole different tune today.

And that provides a good segue to infirmary talk...

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There's a good chance that Josh Fields' return to the majors Friday night will resemble his overall performance -- some good (single, walk), some bad (strikeout), some ugly (run-scoring boot of a possible double play ball).

For some reason, I'm optimistic about Fields. Granted, I know why I shouldn't be:

1. The .248/.325/.450 line in Charlotte.
2. The 25 walks to 77 strikeouts.
3. The step backwards in June (.682 OPS).
4. The knee issue.
   

But I have a hunch, and it goes back to what I wrote at the end of spring training, when he was forced to return to Charlotte despite outplaying Joe Crede handily:


Fields had been terrific at Triple-A the previous two seasons, so he has some sort of track record.  When you package the early disappointment with the bad slide that injured his knee, and then throw in Crede playing well and no apparent daylight at the major-league level, I can see why Fields may have been due for a letdown.

So while Crede's back issues are troublesome, this gives Fields a shot at redemption.  I think he's going to take advantage of it well enough -- not All-Star-caliber production, but around or slightly above his perfectly acceptable 2007 season.  That's what my gut says, anyway, and if I'm wrong, then it's another reason to trust the numbers.

One point in Fields' favor this year -- while his error Friday night was spectacularly unclutch, there's no guarantee that Crede would've handled it.  Not that it excuses him, but there is definitely less pressure on his shoulders to be an artist with leather.

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Scott Linebrink looks to be joining Crede on the shelf, per Joe Cowley:


Linebrink's absence, along with Matt Thornton's case of back stiffness, put Ozzie Guillen in the uncomfortable position of having to use Nick Masset in a high-leverage situation, and the tag team of Boone Logan and D.J. Carrasco.

At least Logan did his job -- retiring the only lefty he faced.  Masset, meanwhile, boosted his WHIP and ERA for the fourth time in his last five appearances.  That said, if Linebrink and Thornton are out, I'm probably going with Carrasco for all short situations and trying to preserve Masset for tandem starter usage with Clayton Richard against the Twins.

As it stands, Guillen has basically three hopes in close games: Jenks, Dotel, and Rain Like Hell.  He's playing bullpen roulette otherwise, and Charlotte candidates like Adam Russell and Ehren Wassermann won't provide additional confidence.  If I were a betting man, I'd wager a small amount on Kenny Williams acquiring a reliever before the deadline.

The good news is that only two bullpen arms are off the market, and neither of them would've been a target for Williams, since he probably still holds a grudge against Jon Rauch, and Guillen lost faith in Damaso Marte.

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Minor league roundup, The-Knights-Don't Miss-Josh-Fields edition:

• Charlotte 15, Buffalo 4 (pretend every hitter's line is in bold)
• Brad Eldred went 3-for-5 with his first homer since June 21, three RBI and two runs scored.
• Jason Bourgeois went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI.
• Chris Getz hit his ninth homer, fell a triple short of the cycle and drove in two.
• Fernando Cortez homered twice and drove in four.
• Lance Broadway gave up three earned runs on four hits and four walks over six.  He struck out five, but allowed two homers.
• Mike MacDougal pitched two scoreless innings.
• Mississippi 9, Birmingham 4
• Justin Cassell struggled, allowing five runs on 10 hits and two walks over five innings.  On the bright side, it'd been months since his last true poor start.
• Javier Castillo went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and an RBI; Miguel Negron had two hits.
• Myrtle Beach 8, Winston-Salem 0
• Steven Spurgeon struck out five over 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief of Clevelan Santeliz, who sucked.
• C.J. Retherford had two of the Warthogs' four hits.
• Kannapolis 4, Lakewood 0
• Miguel Socolovich allowed one hit over six shutout innings.
• Oney Guillen drew three walks and scored two runs.  His dad never walked thrice in a major-league game.
• Jim Gallagher went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
• Brent Morel had two singles.
• Bristol 10, Johnson City 4
• Po-Yun Lin struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run.
• Juan Silverio went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI.
• Andrew Garcia had three hits and two RBI; Brandon Short had two hits and two RBI.
• Missoula 7, Great Falls 2
• Mike Grace hit a solo homer; Nicholas Damas had two hits.
• Joshua Billeaud threw two scoreless innings.